- Download All Landforms
State Geologic Maps from USGS in KML/KMZ format. Very big files, but very useful. If you download the KML versions, they load faster in Google Earth than the KMZ versions.
United States
Topograhy - USGS Topo Map Overlay for U.S. You have to zoom in pretty far to get detail, but a great resource.
Physiographic Provinces - USGS Map of Physiographic Provinces of the U.S. in shapefile format (you can convert them to KML format, or download the KML or KMZ here.)
Geologic Map of Conterminous United States - in KMZ format!
Gravity Anomaly Map of U.S. (isostatic residual gravity anomalies) from San Diego State's KML Geology
Gravity Anomaly Map of U.S. (Bouguer gravity anomalies) from San Diego State's KML Geology
Magnetic Anomaly Map of U.S. from San Diego State's KML Geology
Terrestrial Gamma Radiation Map of U.S. from San Diego State's KML Geology
Active Mines in the U.S. from the USGS
Whole Earth
Gravity Anomaly Map of Earth from San Diego State's KML Geology
Magnetic Anomaly Map of Earth from San Diego State's KML Geology
Global Hotspots and Thermal Anomalies from San Diego State's KML Geology
Age of World's Ocean Floors from San Diego State's KML Geology
Earth's Tectonic Plates from San Diego State's KML Geology
Real Time Earthquakes from USGS {more earthquake KMLs}
Volcanoes (active in Holocene) from Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Paleogeology - The positions of the continents in the past from San Diego State
Handy Tools:
KML Geology: Using Google in Geology. A site by San Diego State University with mostly California related KML files, but also some global/national files.
Converting SHP files to KML. The GDAL/OGR program described in this blog converts shapefiles (from, say, ArcGIS or ENVI) into Google-Earth-readable KML files! Hurray!
For those who need some help:
- Download GDAL/OGR (all platforms, or just Windows)
- Unzip the downloaded file
- Copy the shapefiles to be converted (including the DBF, SHX, and SHP files)
- Paste the shapefiles into the 'bin' folder you just unzipped (so: \gdalwin32-1.6\bin for example)
- Open a command line (Start > Run > 'cmd')
- cd to the bin directory (e.g., 'cd Y:\working\My_Docs\gdalwin32-1.6\bin')
- Type: ogr2ogr -f KML mypoints.kml sbpoints.shp sbpoints (substituting your shapefile name for 'sbpoints.shp' and 'sbpoints')
- Done! A kml called 'mypoints.kml' should appear in the gdalwin32-1.6\bin directory.
Google Earth for Earth Sciences
Awesome Websites
SDSU KML Geology: here or here
Geology Home Companion Blog
Magma Cum Laude Blog
Google Earth Blog
3D Geologic Maps
Geomorphology from Space
University of Washington's EPIC Collection
Earth Science World's Image Bank
